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Indeed, it's been a long strange trip for Warlocks leader Bobby Hecksher since his band played their first gig on July 4th, 1998. Hecksher, who moved to California from Florida in the late '80s, formed his first group shortly after arriving. Charles Brown Superstar issued two singles and two full-length albums before calling it a day. Hecksher was later invited to play on Beck's Stereo Pathetic Soul Manure (Flipside), then -- along with James Ambrose -- formed Magic Pacer, who waxed two albums for Win Records before Hecksher splintered off to do his own thing. Over the course of several years and many personnel changes, Hecksher eventually formed his eight-piece band, calling them the Warlocks, a moniker that had been previously used by early incarnations of both the Velvet Underground and the Grateful Dead. While no one will mistake them for a Deadhead band, the Warlocks' earliest recordings do often sound like they're channeling a fever-soaked Velvet Underground (circa White Light, W...